To: Fellow Members of the Purchase College Community

From: Lynn Mahoney, Interim Vice Provost for Integrative Learning & Jeffrey S. Putman, Asst. Dean for Student Affairs & Ombudsperson

The entire college community shares in our sadness over the trail of devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Across the Gulf Coast, Katrina engulfed thousands of homes and decimated the landscape. Victims are stranded and in need of immediate medical care, food and water, and tens of thousands of people will need temporary housing for months.

In support of those in need, the College, working with the Purchase Student Government, the Purchase College Association, and United University Professions (UUP), has set up ways in which members of the College community can help those who need it.

To facilitate a coordinated College-wide effort, a web site, Purchase Responds, has been set up to provide information on how you can help.

How Can I Help?

The biggest need right now is monetary. Money allows relief agencies to purchase and transport the supplies and materials needed to help the victims directly.

Working with the Purchase College Association, the College has set up a way to easily donate money that will be funneled directly to the relief agencies helping the victims in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. 100% of the funds donated to this fund will be contributed directly to the Red Cross disaster relief fund.

In addition, President Schwarz has generously agreed to match student contributions to the fund dollar for dollar, so every dollar donated by a student counts for two dollars toward the relief effort.

For every five dollars ($5) a student donates the student will receive a raffle ticket towards prizes donated by members of the college community, including dinner for two at the Westchester Broadway Theatre, dinner for two at the Cobblestone, a $100 gift certificate to Target and two tickets to a New York Yankees game. (Further information about the raffle prizes and how the winners of the prizes will be chosen is on the “Purchase Responds” web site. If you would like to contribute a prize toward the raffle, contact the Student Affairs office at student-affairs@purchase.edu).

There are several ways to make a donation:

• Cash: Cash may be given as a donation and will be accepted at the More Card Office in Campus Center North. 
• Check: You may give your donation in the form of a check. The check should be made payable to the "Purchase College Association" and in the memo part of the check you should put "Hurricane Relief Fund" 
• More or Dining Dollars: You can donate dining dollars from your more dollars or declining balance account located on your More Card. Simply bring your More Card to the More Card Office and they will deduct the amount from your account and put it into the Relief Fund.

In addition to the Collection at the More Card Office, the Purchase Student Government will also be collecting donations at several upcoming events, including the Club Fair (on September 9th) and a concert on Tuesday, September 6th.

The Student Government is working with the Conservatory of Music’s Studio Comp program and will host a fund-raiser (where the raffle prizes will be awarded) as part of “Fall Out” on Friday, September 9th at the Student Center.

If you are hosting an event on the campus and wish to collect donations for the fund at your event, please e-mail us at student-affairs@purchase.edu and we will add the event to this web page.

In addition, students will also be tabling in the lobby of Campus Center North beginning tomorrow (Friday, September 2nd) and continuing Tuesday (September 6th) through next Friday (September 9th).

At this point, volunteers are not needed to travel to the disaster area, although the local red cross is always seeking volunteers to help in the local area. If you are interested in learning about local volunteer opportunities contact Sandra Garcia in the LEAD Center Sandra.Garcia@purchase.edu. (See also information about a possible alternative spring break below.)

How is the College helping?

Provost Elizabeth Langland has announced that the College is joining with other institutions around the country and offering local students who were planning to attend colleges or universities in the New Orleans area to attend fall classes at Purchase.

The College has reached out to students who may have been affected directly by these tragic events. If there are any students who have not been contacted directly but who have been affected, they should contact the Student Affairs Office at student-affairs@purchase.edu, visit the office on the third floor of Campus Center South, or contact their residence coordinator.

The College is also exploring conducting at least one alternative spring break in March to help victims of this tragedy recover and help those in need. If you are interested in being a part of an alternative spring break you should e-mail Keegan Mills, Coordinator of Student Engagement, at keegan.mills@purchase.edu.

The College appreciates the efforts of the Purchase College Association; Purchase Student Government; Council of Clubs, Organizations, and Services; United University Professions/Purchase Chapter; Center for Student Engagement and Community Development; Office of Residence Life; the Division of Student Affairs; the Office of the Provost; and the Office of the President for working jointly to help those in need.

Our thoughts, prayers, and hopes remain with those who have been affected by this tragedy.

Purchase Responds
A joint College-wide effort to help to those in need

Purchase College
State University of New York
735 Anderson Hill Road
Purchase, NY 10577-1400

Purchase College Association: pca@purchase.edu
Purchase Student Government Association: psga@purchase.edu
United University Professions, Purchase Chapter: uup@purchase.edu
Division of Student Affairs: student-affairs@purchase.edu

Last Updated: September 1, 2005, 1:00pm